Chilled 500ml brown glass bottle with plain and decidedly "home brew" looking label thats all business. Other than the brewers logo and brew name the label is comprised of Norwegian text. Google translate gave me some help and a little common sense indicates that this brew is from batch number 365 and best before 28 May 2013. This one was brewed on 28 May 2008 and I am consuming at 8 June 2009.

Pours into a tulip glass with a solid amount of 3 finger head and presents as a deep tan color. As the head drops away slowly we see thick, if not creamy, lacing.

Held in front of the face the body is straight up black. Even held up to the light the black remains, indeed it wasn't until the glass was held next to a halogen bulb that any color emerged. That color was blood red, it was very much accurate to blood.

Aroma is dominated with a saturated hops smell supported by brown sugars and roasted dark fruits. Whilst the head was settling those hops where a little drowned out by a medicinal theme. Interestingly that disappeared as the brew was moved about and warmed up.

I will be honest here and say that my first impression upon tasting this beer was that it had been over hyped. The first sip was so intense in dark flavor and resin mouthfeel that I thought i'd be sick. That was over really quickly as that intensity gave way to some very well crafted tastes.

That dark resin upon initial taste becomes a well driven malt cut with roasted fruits, its almost a christmas fruit cake in a beer!

The mouthfeel is grainy with a herb spice twang. The alcohol is noticeable throughout the entire mouthfeel spectrum but at 10% thats bound to happen.

Quick summary: It looks like blood if you hold it to the light, it smells like a bucket full of hops and cake mix and it tastes like that too except with some damn fine malt thrown in for god measure.

If ever there was a late cold night sipper this was it, warms you up lie a log fire. Very damn nice indeed. (1,967 characters)

It's time for round two of the Third Unorganized Invitational, also known as TUI. Nøgne Ø #100 steps up here after a night with Southern Tier's Oat. On to the beer:

Poured into a tulip, the head is hree fingers thick on top. And the body...it's charcoal black...wasn't expecting that. Not even light can penetrate through the body. So far, that head is staying up. On to the aroma I go...there's certainly a dose of hops here. Concentrated hop juice is the first sign. Carmelized sugar and fruit punch sit in the back. The aroma's intenisty really dies off after popping the bottle cap.

The first sip is warming and thick. My soul is heating up already, and I've only taken one sip of my beer. Is this spiced? Spruce and pine notes in the begining make me think so. A squirt of citrus juice liven things up. Very riseny. The alcohol is hidden for the most part, but it really shows itself as it goes down your throat and into your body. Very resiny with wood lingers on in the aftertate.

Hmmm, now I see why Nøgne Ø revived this beer. You'll be sipping this beer, but you'll be coming back for more.

The second round of TUI is coming to a close. I'll have another treat tomorrow night when this resumes. (1,213 characters)

The beer pours a translucent brown color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is awesome! Wow, what a great hop nose. It has a tremendous citrus character that's complimented with a light caramel malt aroma. The taste is great as well! The aroma really translated to the taste. It's a hop bomb for sure with mostly pale malts and a hint of caramel/chocolate for complexity. There is a bit of yeast fruitiness that mixes well with the hops. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a terrific barleywine. It's highly drinkable and has a lovely hop character. Recommended. (648 characters)

A: On the very dark side of the Barley Wine spectrum. Appears black but when held up to the light yeilds some brown. A half finger of slightly off white head.

S: A solid if unremarkable nose. Tons of malt with a touch of dark fruit thrown in and a little bit of basement mustiness.

T: Tons of malt right up front. A nice dull sweetness then blam. Chocolate. Really awesome twist. Then comes the hint of dark fruit. Finished a little bitter from what is left of the hops and a little bit of roast.

M: Full bodied. Low carbonation.

D: This is a really nice beer. Nothing like a barley wine with a little time on it. The chocolate really threw me off and impressed me. Really solid beer. (688 characters)

A - Poured from the 500ml bottle a dark brown with some ruby red highlights when held up to light. A 3 centimtre light tan coloured head that slowly falls away to a thin whisp leaving a fair amount of lacing down the glass.S - Big herbal, deep citrus fruit and pine notes up front followed by a strong dark fruit character. Vauge chocolate hints.T - Citrus and herbal hoppy notes on top of a sweet fruitcake quality with a lot of dark fruit touches, some bready notes and a slighhtly bitter dark chocolate hint.M - Very smooth Barleywine with a low carbonation and medium body. Chocolate laced fruitcake aftertaste lingers. Smooth, yet strong bitterness.D - Full of flavour that I love. Will be buying more ASAP. (716 characters)

Pours darker than expected. This pretty much looks like a porter - certainly darker than any barleywine I've ever seen. Wispy head that gathers around the edges of the glass. Minimal lacing.

Smells a bit hot and boozy (sort of a botanical, gin-like smell) and has that same citric hop character I've noticed in a few of these guys' beers. It's not a bad thing as such, but with Nogne Ø beers having only recently shown up in Australia, I've had quite a few of them in a short time and that particular characteristic is prevalent in most of them - burnt orange kind of thing. Not much else to talk about, smell-wise.

Same deal in the mouth. Sweetness, bready malt, alcohol burn, those same herbal, burnt-orange hops. Other fruits floating around in there too; date (without the sweetness), overripe pineapple. Dry leaves and alcohol in the finish. I had to sit there and sip it over and over to get all the flavours, because it's overwhelmingly alcohol, citric and herbal, in that order. Bitterness feels as if it comes equally from the alcohol as it does from the hops.

Medium mouthfeel with a rough grainy texture that the carbonation smooths over nicely. Despite how boozy it tastes, no overt burn from the alcohol at all, which would make it pretty drinkable, but... I just don't dig the flavours that much. I'm wondering if a bit of age would do it some good - I suspect so, and I have some more so I guess I'll find out. At this point though, not a patch on the likes of Mikkeller Big Worse (a little underrated on this site, IMO). (1,543 characters)

Another great beer enjoyed at Pazzo's. And, got to meet and share a pint with another BA.

The beer begins Barleywine-ey enough with a deep mohogany hue, froathy golden-ish head that rises to about 1/2" and remains. Lots of lacing left behind. Mild haze keeps it from perfection.

Strong hoppy and fruity aromas. The lable boasts the use of a lot of 'C' hops and they aren't kidding. Lots of grapefruit, citrus, and pine notes rising through the yeasty fruitiness and insane malts. Barley takes the aromas of molassas, caramel, and toffee while adding a toasty note.

Flavor do a leapfrog with the malts leading the way. Strong barley malt flavors of the molassas and toffee give a lot of melanoidin taste and just the right amount of sweetness. Hop flavor is still strong with the more pine than citrus and weaves beautifully in and out of the alcohol taste and bite. English yeast gives a lot of fruit flavors and keeps the beer maybe a bit sweeter than American yeast varieties.

Very bold maltiness holds onto some sweetness and keeps the beer a tad heavy. Hop bitterness again works well with the warming alcohols to disguise any would-be bite or astringency. Very heavy and full to the entire mouth, but the malt attenuation keeps it pleasantly drinkable.

The beer reminds me a lot of Old Guardian, but a bit sweeter, fruitier, and with a bit more residual sweetness on the palate. A very enjoyable session. (1,414 characters)

As I perused the Savoy Friar Tuck, I realized that I had yet to try anything from Nogne. Having read very good things about it, I figured that a foray into this Scandinavian powerhouse was long overdue. As my first selection, I grabbed #100, since I love American Barleywine. After this, #100 has only enhanced my appreciation of the style, and begun my fondness for Nogne.

Although only a 16.9 oz. bottle, it didn't fit inside the Duvel tulip glass, bubbling up to generate a three-finger tan head over a deep brown, incandescent body. It may well be the darkest barleywine I've had, utterly sans highlights. Good head duration and lacing; excellent start.

The nose, though enticing, is too subtle for me. Hints of chocolate, caramel, and ample hops emerge, but this would be much better served with a bolder aroma. Yet the taste more than makes up for any perceived deficiencies in the smell. Full of dark chocolate, biting hops, roasted toffee, and butterscotch, this fits the bill without question. An excellent barleywine, nicely balanced, and delicious, #100 begins with a hop flourish, and finishes heavy on the malt. The start is almost sour in taste and well-hopped in texture, but the finish is much smoother, a good indication of the chocolate and caramel malts working their charm.

Excellent stuff, #100 is not only a splendid barleywine, but a tremendous introduction to this highly touted Norwegian brewery. This will be not be the last time I enjoy #100, nor sample Nogne's wares.

Perfect pour here, the beer is a very dark rust red with a creamy slightly off-white head that doesn't really go down, it never seems to move, very cool. Aroma is incredible, big waft of citrusy hops followed by a huge malt flavor, raisins and plums; sweetness like brown sugar and cinnamon. Very thick smell, like a super Bigfoot (another top brew). Taste is sharp and powerful, like a barley wine should; very meaty. It's sort of boozy, lots of raisins and assorted dark fruit, but it all blends so well together. Big citrusy kick from the hops at the end make this an exceptional brew.

Who knew the best American-style barley wine was made in Norway. Top notch brew. (670 characters)

Pours dark dark brown. Poured it into a tulip glass and couldn't see through when held up to the light. Filled up about half the glass, and the fluffy head filled up the other half. Moderate retention, with excellent lacing.

Has aromas of citrus and a dark woodiness.

Has a little bit of sharpness and bitterness that you would expect from a barleywine, but they're not as overpowering as some barleywines are.

Feels pretty balanced in the mouth. Has some light carbonation. Not as hot as it could be with the 10% ABV, which is great.

It's a slow sipper. Good for relaxing with after a long day, which is what I'm doing right now. (663 characters)

Nearly opaque pecan shell brown with generous russet accents. The toasted peanut shell crown was massive after a pour that was more vigorous than intended. The creamy foam looks fantastic as it melts and the upper part of the glass is completely blanketed with finely stippled lace. This is a darker than normal barleywine... and a gorgeous one.

The dark color comes from the use of chocolate malt, which isn't really appreciated in the nose. The beer smells dark and rich, it just doesn't smell chocolate or cocoa-like. There's plenty of medium-dark fruit and a wonderful citric hoppiness due to the American hop bill that includes Columbus, Chinook and Centennial.

With a lineup like that (and a brewery like Nogne) #100 was bound to be delicious. With respect to doppelbocks and barleywines, the darker and richer the better, as far as I'm concerned. The chocolate malt in this brew is the key to its complexity. The outstanding choice of hops doesn't hurt. Nor does the fact that a ton of them were used.

This bottle is an estimated one year of age and the lupulins and alpha acids are still kicking like a mule. This may be the 'darkest' barleywine that I've had to date. Flavors include dark caramel, bittersweet chocolate, raisins, figs, candied cherries and a whole heaping helping of white grapefruit zest. No more waffling, the taste score is a bona fide 4.5.

Although the mouthfeel is a fraction lighter than I prefer, it's amazingly silky smooth and fills the mouth with each sip. Besides, it becomes increasingly chewy with warming and makes the beer a cinch to drink, either quickly or slowly. I'd recommend the latter.

Nogne is one my favorite European (never mind Scandanavian) breweries. Some of their offerings (Imperial Stout and Porter) are extraordinary. I think we can add #100 Barley Wine-Style Ale to the list. This is an ass-kicking beer, it's as simple as that. (1,892 characters)

Huge head sticks around forever. Cola colored beer, no light passes through. Impressive, unusual carbonation for a barleywine. Heavy body.Aromas of Raisin, fig, dark chocolate, coffee.A good malt balance without going over the top, like some American barley wines.I breathe in the alcohol and dry coca flavors.The hops come out in the aftertaste with a dry grassy feel at the back on my tongue. (398 characters)

Pours a beautiful dark brown color with hints of dark red and amber coming through. It has a huge, nice, fullfy head that leaves awesome lace. The smell is very rich and mainly of roasted malt, but it also has some spice to it...possibly some cinnamon. Also, the aroma has a bit of herbalness to it, which I find somewhat weird. The taste is similar. Big and malty, but still has that strange herbal character. It almost taste like mint leaves, or maybe some juniper. It is a little off putting to me, but I suppose it lightens it up too. Good beer, but far from my favorite Nogne O. (583 characters)

A- Astonishing. A deep brown with some ruby hues with a bit of cloudiness. The head is absolutely massive, creamy, light brown with amazing lacing. As good as it gets.

S- Pine, caramel, a little bit of sharp citrus. There is a little alcohol undercurrent, but it is not harsh.

T- Very smooth, but very big. The caramel and pine are fantastic, and the alcohol is warm, but not harsh. There are some oakey and vanilla flavors in there as well. For a barleywine, this is smooth and tasty.

M- Thick, smooth, and creamy. Not nearly as carbonated as the massive head would lead you to believe.

D- A smooth sipper. What a beautiful take on the style. I would get this again in a second. (684 characters)

Nose is loaded with citrus and pine, with a noticeable solvent-like alcohol note that is not unpleasant.

Taste is sweet up front but a bit dry, caramel and a richer, lightly toasted presence dominate with alcohol and spicy hops peeking in. Citrus comes out in a big way with a burst of sweetness moving toward a long, dry, lingering heavy bitterness, wrapping itself around notes of resiny pine.

Light carbonation, a bit soft, and a full body that leans just a smidge towards syrupy. All in all an impressive beer. (571 characters)

500 ml bottle purchased from Liquid Solutions about a year ago for nine dollars, consumed on 1/9/09, reviewed from notes, poured into my Dogfish Head snifter, color is a dark brown with minimal light going through, 3/4 inch creamy beige head, lasts a long time, good lacing too, aroma is entirely filled with hops, and it seemed like lots of Chinook was in there, other scents included wheat, chocolate, and roasted malts, flavor was rather hoppy, heard this was supposed to be a DIPA when I was Stone a few weeks ago, there was some issues with the labeling before it was imported, reminded me a lot of a dark India pale ale in fact, much more than a barleywine, bitterness overpowered a lot of the other flavors but I was not complaining, tasted more of the malt by the end when it warmed, pine and grapefruit were around in the finish and mixed uniquely with the sweet and roasty accents, mouthfeel is dry, bitter, and slightly roasted, medium bodied, good level of carbonation, taste lingered, could drink a lot of this considering it is ten percent, alcohol is hidden well, dry enough to make the sweet qualities balance out and then some, good drinkability, glad the brewers did not keep this all for themselves and released a good amount of it commercially, wish I had more of this to cellar, a great beer from a great Norway brewery, one of the better beers from overseas that I have had in a while, recommended (1,419 characters)

I wouldn't say this beer looks bad, but for the style, it's just not right. Looking at this, I would never, ever guess this is a barleywine. Looks just like a stout, it's black with a big tan head with great lacing and retention. Just no evidence of barleywine in the appearance. The smell is really incredible. There's a lot of sweetness underneath, I can imagine there being a lot more hoppiness in the smell when this was fresh, but there is still a clear, crisp hop smell. Kind of floral and spicy with a bit of citrus in the smell. There is still a slight smell of dark malts, which is a bit uncharacteristic, but I can forgive it for the rest of the smell. (I feel a bit self-contradictory now). The taste is great at this age. Very smooth and sweet, almost creamy. There a good deep, dark fruity character to it, with just a tiny bit of caramel, and I even get a good rush of bitterness. The creaminess is really the shining moment, making the mouthfeel perfect. There is almost no alcohol presence or hotness. I found myself constantly reaching to have more of this. And it was gone quickly. I feel bad as I post this for the first score, but I think it's appropriate, considering the style. But barleywine might be the best category, and I wouldn't suggest dialing it down as it might miss out on some of the rest of the high points. If you can get your hands on it, drink this. (1,387 characters)

Big head for this style, seems to keep on keepin' on pretty well, with some bigger bubbles nested on top of a grayish brown foam. Very dark for a barleywine, almost black but with a significant amount of bronzed highlighting with any light in the room. Great look.

Tons of dark fruits on the nose here, that's the first thing I notice. Definitely a chocolate edge here and there. Vinous for sure, even a little bit of Coca Cola-caramel sweetness.

Richly sweet and full, with a huge caramel presence along with a solid woodiness, chocolate, and dark fruit. Tons of hops, lending at turns citric and pine to the flavor. Bitter, but plenty sweet.

Finish is amazingly chocolatey, like a full-bodied stout, with a huge hop presence still nestled in. Mouthfeel is right on the mark; not as large as a stout but hinting towards it. A double IPA with two tons of barley: one caramel and one chocolate.

My first venture into this brewery & I'm underwhelmed, even though I am a big fan of barleywines.

The most impressive piece of this was the massive foaming even with a gentle pour, but I can't drink with my eyes. Smell is much less subtle than most barleywines; some other style that I just can't place.

Taste is acceptable. Again, not the smoothness nor the silky sweetness I like in a bareleywine, still untamed, boozy, with a taste & smell like raw roughage. Not bad, but not good, either.

Pretty average; maybe the roughness is in the youth of the beer, perhaps it'll smooth out & improve with age. More than likely I'll never find out. (646 characters)